Dr. Hugh L. Agnew                                                                                                                                                                                               Office Hours:
Phillips 310                                                                                                                                                                                             M 4:30-5:30, W 11-12
Tel: 202.994.6232                                                                                                                                                                                         or by appointment
Fax: 202.994.6231                                                                                                                                                                               e-mail: agnew@gwu.edu

This course is a concise introduction to the history of the peoples and countries of the Balkan peninsula in modern times. The Balkans includes the present-day states of Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia (Montenegro and Serbia), Bosnia, albania, Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. After an introduction to the earlier centuries of Balkan history and the Turkish conquest, the course will focus on the development of Balkan nationalist movements and Ottoman decline, and it will continue to the collapse of the Soviet bloc. As a region of continuing instability in Europe, the Balkans remain-as they have been in the past-one of the world's trouble spots. Understanding the history of the region is fundamental to comprehending present-day issues.

Requirements:

1. Quizzes: There will be no midterm examination in this course, but there will be four half-hour quizzes during the term, which will count cumulatively as the mid-term. At least one will be a map quiz. The total weight of the four quizzes in determining your final mark will be 30%.

2. Writing assignments: There is no traditional term paper in this course, but in lieu of it each student will turn in the two writing assignments described below, which will count cumulatively for 30% of your final mark.

Writing assignment 1: Web reviews (15%). Using either GW's computer facilities or your own web access, prepare a written critique of at least six (6) internet resource sites for information about Balkan history, culture and politics. Spend some time looking around before you choose your six sites, there's a lot out there! If you need advice or help getting going, I would be happy to help, so consult me after class or during office hours. In preparing the written discussion of the sites you find, be conscious of the need for a skeptical approach, look for and identify biases, and express your critical judgement. I expect approximately ten pages of double-spaced text. Be sure to include a source list, giving exact URLs for every site you discussed and any other sources you consulted (including the textbooks). This assignment will be due on Monday, October 2.

Writing assignment 2: Book review (15%). Write a review (five to seven double-spaced pages) of one of the following books, or suggest a book of your own and get it approved by me in advance. Conditions are that the book be by an author from the Balkans and not be "straight" history, but rather fiction or journalism.

Milovan Djilas, Land Without Justice

Slavenka Drakulic, The Balkan Express: Fragments from the Other Side of War

Ivo Andric, The Bridge on the Drina

In your review pay attention to the connections between the history we have been studying and the work you are reviewing. The book review will be due no later than Monday, November 27.

3. Final Exam: There will be a final examination, consisting of identifications and two essays. The date and location of the final are not yet fixed, but will be announced when the university prepares the final exam schedule. The total weight of the final will be 40%.

Please note: Failure to complete each of the three requirements will result in failure in the course, regardless of your arithmetical score on the completed ones.

Textbooks:

L. S. Stavrianos, The Balkans since 1453 (NYU Press)

Noel Malcolm, Bosnia: A Short History (NYU Press)

Dennis P. Hupchick and Harold E. Cox, A Concise Historical Atlas of Eastern Europe (St. Martin's)

Readings from the textbooks are given under each week's lecture topics. Additional readings may be distributed during class.

Lecture topics:

Week of August 28:    Introduction to the Course;  Background: Land, Peoples, Past

Stavrianos, chs. 1 and 2
Malcolm, ch. 1
Hupchick & Cox, maps 1-4, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11

Week of September 4:    LABOR DAY (no class);  Balkan States before the Turks

Stavrianos, ch.2
Malcolm, chs. 2 and 3
Hupchick & Cox, maps 12, 13, 15-18

Week of September 11:    The Coming of the Ottoman Turks;  The Ottomans and Europe;  Quiz 1

Stavrianos, chs. 3-5
Malcolm, chs. 4-6
Hupchick, maps 22, 24, 25

Week of September 18:    The Balkans under the Turks;  Ottoman Empire in Decline

Stavrianos, chs. 6-9
Malcolm, chs.7-9
Hupchick, maps 27 and 28

Week of September 25:    Stirrings of Revolt: Serbia and Greece;  Ottoman Efforts at Reform: the Tanzimat

Stavrianos, chs. 13-16 (read chs. 10-12 when you can)
Malcolm, ch. 10
Hupchick, maps 30-32

Week of October 2:    Serbia and Greece and the Fruits of Victory;  Writing Assignment 1 due October 2;  Balkan Peoples under the Habsburgs;  Quiz 2

Stavrianos, chs. 14-15
Malcolm, ch. 10

Week of October 9:    COLUMBUS DAY (no class);  The Crimean War and After

Stavrianos, chs. 17, 20
Hupchick, maps 33 and 34

Week of October 16:    Balkan "Awakenings": Romania and Bulgaria;  From Bosnian Revolt to Berlin Congress

Stavrianos, chs. 18, 19, 21

Week of October 23:    Domestic Developments after 1878;  The Road to Sarajevo: the Balkans and the Powers;  Quiz 3

Stavrianos, chs. 22-28
Malcolm, ch. 11
Hupchick, maps 35-40

Week of October 30:    World War I in the Balkans;  Peace Settlements and New Beginnings?

Stavrianos, chs. 29, 30
Malcolm, ch. 12
Hupchick, maps 41, 42

Week of November 6:    The Balkan States in the Interwar Period;  World War II and the Balkans

Stavrianos, chs. 31-37
Malcolm, chs. 12-13
Hupchick, maps 44-47, 49

Week of November 13:    From War's End to the Tito-Stalin Split;  Stalinism in the Balkans;  Quiz 4

Stavrianos, chs. 38-39
Malcolm, ch. 14

Week of November 20:    The Greek State after 1949;  THANKSGIVING BREAK (no class)

Week of November 27:    Yugoslavia Goes It Alone;  Writing Assignment 2 due November 27;  Balkan Communist Regimes from Stalin to Brezhnev

Malcom, ch. 14
Hupchick, map 50

Week of December 4:    The End of Communism in the Balkans;  The Bloody Death of Yugoslavia

Malcolm, chs. 15, 16 & epilogue

Week of December 11:    Conclusion